U.S. patent number 9,852,449 [Application Number 14/934,671] was granted by the patent office on 2017-12-26 for system and method for providing advertisement data to a mobile computing device.
This patent grant is currently assigned to QUALCOMM Incorporated. The grantee listed for this patent is QUALCOMM Incorporated. Invention is credited to David Daetz, Sachin Kansal.
United States Patent |
9,852,449 |
Kansal , et al. |
December 26, 2017 |
System and method for providing advertisement data to a mobile
computing device
Abstract
A mobile computing device includes a processor, a display
coupled to the processor, a memory coupled to the processor and
configured to store user-specific data, and a location-determining
circuit configured to determine the location of the portable
electronic device. The processor is configured to provide
advertisement data on the display based upon the location of the
portable electronic device and the user-specific data.
Inventors: |
Kansal; Sachin (Sunnyvale,
CA), Daetz; David (Cupertino, CA) |
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
QUALCOMM Incorporated |
San Diego |
CA |
US |
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Assignee: |
QUALCOMM Incorporated (San
Diego, CA)
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Family
ID: |
40455571 |
Appl.
No.: |
14/934,671 |
Filed: |
November 6, 2015 |
Prior Publication Data
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Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
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US 20160063562 A1 |
Mar 3, 2016 |
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Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
Issue Date |
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11901272 |
Sep 14, 2007 |
9183571 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q
30/02 (20130101); G06Q 30/0267 (20130101); H04L
67/10 (20130101); G06Q 50/01 (20130101); H04W
4/021 (20130101); G06Q 30/0261 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H04W
24/00 (20090101); H04L 29/08 (20060101); H04W
4/02 (20090101); G06Q 50/00 (20120101); G06Q
30/02 (20120101) |
Field of
Search: |
;455/456.3 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
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10228608 |
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Jan 2004 |
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1220552 |
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Jul 2002 |
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EP |
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1551193 |
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Jul 2005 |
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EP |
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1063837 |
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Oct 2005 |
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EP |
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1631050 |
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Mar 2006 |
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EP |
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WO-9955066 |
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Oct 1999 |
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WO |
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WO-0165411 |
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Sep 2001 |
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WO |
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WO-2005071932 |
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Aug 2005 |
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WO |
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WO-2006099586 |
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Sep 2006 |
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WO |
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Other References
Co-pending U.S. Appl. No. 60/954,022, filed Aug. 6, 2007. cited by
applicant .
Co-pending U.S. Appl. No. 61/140,652, filed Dec. 23, 2008. cited by
applicant .
International Search Report and Written Opinion for International
Application No. PCT/US2009/064940, dated May 13, 2010, 8 pages.
cited by applicant .
International Search Report and Written Opinion for International
Application No. PCT/US2009/068525, dated Aug. 5, 2010, 8 pages.
cited by applicant .
International Search Report for International Application No.
PCT/US2001/06340; dated May 16, 2001; 1 page. cited by applicant
.
Supplementary European Search Report--EP09829716--Search
Authority--Munich--dated May 3, 2017. cited by applicant.
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Primary Examiner: Pham; Timothy
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Paradice and Li LLP
Parent Case Text
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.
11/901,272, filed Sep. 14, 2007, entitled "SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR
PROVIDING ADVERTISEMENT DATA TO A MOBILE COMPUTING DEVICE," which
is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
Claims
What is claimed is:
1. A mobile computing device comprising: a display; a
location-determining circuit configured to determine a current
location of the mobile computing device; and a processor coupled to
the display and the location-determining circuit, the processor
configured to: retrieve user-specific data associated with at least
one from the group consisting of an electronic mail application, a
messaging application, an electronic calendar application, a social
media application, a website, and an electronic contacts
application; identify a geographic location from the retrieved
user-specific data; filter advertisements based at least in part on
personal preference data of the user separate from the
user-specific data; and present, on the display, one or more
filtered advertisements based, at least in part, on the current
location of the mobile computing device and the geographic location
identified from the user-specific data.
2. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the
user-specific data is social media data retrieved from a social
networking website.
3. The mobile computing device of claim 2, wherein the social
networking website is associated with a user's social networking
account.
4. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the processor is
further configured to: receive a number of advertisements from one
or more advertisement services.
5. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the personal
preference data indicates a number of filtered advertisements to be
presented on the display within a time period.
6. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the personal
preference data indicates a type of advertisement to be presented
on the display.
7. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein at least one of
the presented advertisements comprises an electronic coupon.
8. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein at least one of
the presented advertisements comprises an audible message.
9. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein at least one of
the presented advertisements comprises a map indicating a location
of an associated establishment.
10. The mobile computing device of claim 1, wherein the
user-specific data is at least one of content of an email message,
content of a text message, content of an electronic calendar
appointment, data from a social media account or website, or data
from an electronic contacts application.
11. A method of operating a mobile computing device, the method
comprising: determining a current location of the mobile computing
device; retrieving user-specific data associated with at least one
of an electronic mail application, a messaging application, an
electronic calendar application, a social media application, a
website, or an electronic contacts application; identifying a
geographic location from the retrieved user-specific data;
filtering advertisements based, at least in part, on personal
preference data of the user separate from the user-specific data;
and presenting, on a display of the mobile computing device, one or
more filtered advertisements based, at least in part, on the
current location of the mobile computing device and the geographic
location identified from the user-specific data.
12. The method of claim 11, wherein the user-specific data is
social media data retrieved from a social networking website.
13. The method of claim 12, wherein the social networking website
is associated with a user's social networking account.
14. The method of claim 11, further comprising: receiving a number
of advertisements from one or more advertisement services.
15. The method of claim 11, wherein the personal preference data
indicates a number of filtered advertisements to be presented on
the display within a time period.
16. The method of claim 11, wherein the personal preference-data
indicates a type of advertisement to be presented on the
display.
17. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the presented
advertisements comprises an electronic coupon.
18. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the presented
advertisements comprises an audible message.
19. The method of claim 11, wherein at least one of the presented
advertisements comprises a map indicating a location of an
associated establishment.
20. The method of claim 11, wherein the user-specific data is at
least one of content of an email message, content of a text
message, content of an electronic calendar appointment, data from a
social media account or website, or data from an electronic
contacts application.
21. The method of claim 11, further comprising: determining a time
associated with the user-specific data; and identifying the
geographic location from the user-specific data based, at least in
part, on the determined time.
22. The method of claim 21, wherein the geographic location is
identified at the determined time.
23. A mobile computing device comprising: means for determining a
current location of the mobile computing device; means for
retrieving user-specific data associated with at least one of an
electronic mail application, a messaging application, an electronic
calendar application, a social media application, a website, or an
electronic contacts application; means for identifying a geographic
location from the retrieved user-specific data; means for filtering
advertisements based at least in part on personal preference data
of the user separate from the user-specific data; and means for
presenting, on a display of the mobile computing device, one or
more filtered advertisements based, at least in part, on the
current location of the mobile computing device and the geographic
location identified from the user-specific data.
24. The mobile computing device of claim 23, wherein the
user-specific data is social media data retrieved from a social
networking website.
25. The mobile computing device of claim 24, wherein the social
networking website is associated with a user's social networking
account.
26. The mobile computing device of claim 23, further comprising:
means for receiving a number of advertisements from one or more
advertisement services.
27. The mobile computing device of claim 23, wherein the personal
preference data indicates a number of filtered advertisements to be
presented on the display within a time period.
28. The mobile computing device of claim 23, wherein the personal
preference data indicates a type of advertisement to be presented
on the display.
29. The mobile computing device of claim 23, wherein at least one
of the presented advertisements comprises a map indicating a
location of an associated establishment.
30. The mobile computing device of claim 23, wherein the
user-specific data is at least one of content of an email message,
content of a text message, content of an electronic calendar
appointment, data from a social media account or website, or data
from an electronic contacts application.
Description
BACKGROUND
The present invention relates generally to the field of mobile
computing devices, and more specifically to systems and methods for
providing advertisement data to a mobile computing device.
Mobile devices may be used to provide location-based advertisements
to users of mobile devices. As a user travels, advertisements may
be displayed on a mobile device the user is carrying based upon the
geographic location of the mobile device. For example, if a user
walks past a restaurant, an advertisement (e.g., coupon, discount,
general advertisement, etc.) may be displayed on the user's mobile
device.
However, with the increasing usage of mobile devices and
location-based advertisements, users may receive numerous
advertisements, where many may be totally irrelevant to the user,
and where it may be difficult to identify relevant or useful
advertisements because of the high number of advertisements being
received.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 is a front view of a mobile computing device according to an
exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 2 is a back view of the mobile computing device of FIG. 1
according to an exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 3 is a side view of the mobile computing device of FIG. 1
according to an exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the mobile computing device of FIG. 1
according to an exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a memory of the mobile computing
device of FIG. 1 according to an exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a schematic representation of the mobile computing device
of FIG. 1 in communication with a number of advertisement services
according to an exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing
advertisement data according to an exemplary embodiment.
FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a method of providing
advertisement data according to another exemplary embodiment.
FIGS. 9-11 are schematic representations of a display of the mobile
computing device of FIG. 1 according to various exemplary
embodiments.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
Disclosed is a system and method for providing location-based
advertisements using a mobile computing device. In some
embodiments, the advertisement data is based upon both the location
of the mobile computing device and user-specific data stored on or
retrievable by the mobile computing device.
Referring to FIGS. 1-3, a mobile computing device 10 is shown. The
teachings herein can be applied to device 10 or to other electronic
devices (e.g., a desktop computer), mobile computing devices (e.g.,
a laptop computer) or handheld computing devices, such as a
personal digital assistant (PDA), smartphone, mobile telephone,
personal navigation device, etc. According to one embodiment,
device 10 is a smartphone, which is a combination mobile telephone
and handheld computer having PDA functionality. PDA functionality
can comprise one or more of personal information management (e.g.,
including personal data applications such as email, calendar,
phone, text messaging, etc.), database functions, word processing,
spreadsheets, voice memo recording, Global Positioning System (GPS)
functionality, etc. Device 10 is configured to synchronize personal
information from these applications with a computer (e.g., a
desktop, laptop, server, etc.). Device 10 is further configured to
receive and operate additional applications provided to device 10
after manufacture, e.g., via wired or wireless download,
SecureDigital card, etc.
As shown in FIGS. 1-3, device 10 includes a housing 12 and a front
side 14 and a back side 16. Device 10 further comprises a display
18 and a user input device 20 (e.g., a QWERTY keyboard, buttons,
touch screen, speech recognition engine, etc.). Display 18 can
comprise a touch screen display in order to provide user input to a
processor 40 (see FIG. 4) to control functions, such as to select
options displayed on display 18, enter text input to device 10, or
enter other types of input. Display 18 also provides images (see,
e.g., FIG. 6) that are displayed and may be viewed by users of
device 10. User input device 20 can provide similar inputs as those
of touch screen display 18. Device 10 can further comprise a
speaker 26, and a stylus 30 to assist the user in making selections
on display 18.
According to an exemplary embodiment, housing 12 is configured to
hold a screen such as display 18 in a fixed relationship above a
user input device such as user input device 20 in a substantially
parallel or same plane. This fixed relationship excludes a hinged
or movable relationship between the screen and the user input
device (e.g., a plurality of keys) in the fixed embodiment. Device
10 may be a handheld computer, which is a computer small enough to
be carried in a hand of a user, comprising such devices as typical
mobile telephones and personal digital assistants, but excluding
typical laptop computers and tablet PCs.
In various embodiments, housing 12 could be any size, shape, and
dimension. In some embodiments, housing 12 has a width 13 of no
more than about 200 mm or, alternatively, no more than about 100
mm. According to some of these embodiments, housing 12 has a width
13 of no more than about 85 mm or, alternatively, no more than
about 65 mm. According to some embodiments, housing 12 has a width
13 of at least about 30 mm or, alternatively, at least about 50 mm.
According to some of these embodiments, housing 12 has a width 13
of at least about 55 mm.
In some embodiments, housing 12 has a length 15 of no more than
about 200 mm or, alternatively, no more than about 150 mm.
According to some of these embodiments, housing 12 has a length 15
of no more than about 135 mm or, alternatively, no more than about
125 mm. According to some embodiments, housing 12 has a length 15
of at least about 70 mm or, alternatively, at least about 100 mm.
According to some of these embodiments, housing 12 has a length 15
of at least about 100 mm.
In some embodiments, housing 12 has a thickness 17 of no more than
about 150 mm or, alternatively, no more than about SO mm. According
to some of these embodiments, housing 12 has a thickness 17 of no
more than about 30 mm or, alternatively, no more than about 25 mm.
According to some embodiments, housing 12 has a thickness 17 of at
least about 10 mm or, alternatively, at least about 15 mm.
According to some of these embodiments, housing 12 has a thickness
17 of at least about 50 mm.
In some embodiments, housing 12 has a volume of up to about 2500
cubic centimeters or, alternatively, up to about 1500 cubic
centimeters. In some alternative embodiments, housing 12 has a
volume of up to about 1000 cubic centimeters or, alternatively, up
to about 600 cubic centimeters.
Referring now to FIG. 4, device 10 comprises a processing circuit
46 comprising a processor 40. Processor 40 can comprise one or more
microprocessors, microcontrollers, and other analog and/or digital
circuit components configured to perform the functions described
herein. Processor 40 may comprise one or more memories (e.g.,
random access memory, read only memory, flash, etc.) configured to
store software applications provided during manufacture or
subsequent to manufacture by the user or by a distributor of device
10. In one embodiment, processor 40 can comprise a first
applications microprocessor configured to run a variety of personal
information management applications, such as email, a calendar,
contacts, etc., and a second, radio processor on a separate chip or
as part of a dual-core chip with the application processor. The
radio processor is configured to operate telephony functionality.
Device 10 can be configured for cellular radio telephone
communication, such as Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Global
System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Third Generation (3G)
systems such as Wide-Band CDMA (WCDMA), or other cellular radio
telephone technologies. Device 10 can further be configured for
data communication functionality, for example, via GSM with General
Packet Radio Service (GPRS) systems (GSM/GPRS), CDMA/1.times.RTT
systems, Enhanced Data Rates for Global Evolution (EDGE) systems,
Evolution Data Only or Evolution Data Optimized (EV-DO), and/or
other data communication technologies.
Device 10 comprises a receiver 38 which comprises analog and/or
digital electrical components configured to receive and transmit
wireless signals via antenna 22 to provide cellular telephone
and/or data communications with a fixed wireless access point, such
as a cellular telephone tower, in conjunction with a network
carrier, such as, Verizon Wireless, Sprint, etc. Device 10 can
further comprise circuitry to provide communication over a local
area network, such as Ethernet or according to an IEEE 802.11x
standard or a personal area network, such as a Bluetooth or
infrared communication technology.
Device 10 further comprises a microphone 36 (see FIG. 2) configured
to receive audio signals, such as voice signals, from a user or
other person in the vicinity of device 10, typically by way of
spoken words. Alternatively or in addition, processor 40 can
further be configured to provide video conferencing capabilities by
displaying on display 18 video from a remote participant to a video
conference, by providing a video camera on device 10 for providing
images to the remote participant, by providing text messaging,
two-way audio streaming in full- and/or half-duplex mode, etc.
Device 10 further comprises a location determining application,
shown in FIG. 3 as GPS application 44. GPS application 44 can
communicate with and provide the location of device 10 at any given
time. Device 10 may employ one or more location determination
techniques including, for example, Global Positioning System (GPS)
techniques, Cell Global Identity (CGI) techniques, CGI including
timing advance (TA) techniques, Enhanced Forward Link Trilateration
(EFLT) techniques, Time Difference of Arrival (TDOA) techniques,
Angle of Arrival (AOA) techniques, Advanced Forward Link
Trilateration (AFTL) techniques, Observed Time Difference of
Arrival (OTDOA), Enhanced Observed Time Difference (EOTD)
techniques, Assisted GPS (AGPS) techniques, hybrid techniques
(e.g., GPS/CGI, AGPS/CGI, GPS/AFTL or AGPS/AFTL for CDMA networks,
GPS/EOTD or AGPS/EOTD for GSM/GPRS networks, GPS/OTDOA or
AGPS/OTDOA for UMTS networks), and so forth.
Device 10 may be arranged to operate in one or more location
determination modes including, for example, a standalone mode, a
mobile station (MS) assisted mode, and/or an MS-based mode. In a
standalone mode, such as a standalone GPS mode, device 10 may be
arranged to autonomously determine its location without real-time
network interaction or support. When operating in an MS-assisted
mode or an MS-based mode, however, device 10 may be arranged to
communicate over a radio access network (e.g., UMTS radio access
network) with a location determination entity such as a location
proxy server (LPS) and/or a mobile positioning center (MPC).
Device 10 further comprises a memory 42 coupled to or as part of
processor 40. Memory 42 may store a variety of information, data,
applications, files, etc. that may be used or accessed using device
10. According to an exemplary embodiment as shown in FIG. 5, memory
42 may store user-specific data 48 (e.g., user profile data, user
preference data, user-related data, personal information management
data, etc.). User-specific data may include a number of different
types of data related to a user of device 10. For example, as shown
in FIG. 5, user-specific data 48 may include calendar data 50,
contacts data 52, messaging data 54, personal preferences or
profile data 56, and other user-specific data 58.
According to an exemplary embodiment, calendar data 50 may include
various data related to an electronic calendar application capable
of being run on device 10. For example, calendar data 50 may
include data regarding various appointments such as location data
(e.g., an individual's residence, a commercial establishment, an
address or other geographic indicator such as a city, state, etc.,
a conference room number, and so on), time/date data (e.g., a date
and/or time for a specific appointment, data regarding a recurring
appointment, etc.), attendee data, and other data related to an
appoint or meeting. According to an exemplary embodiment, calendar
data 50 may include, for example, a name of an individual or
commercial establishment that may be used to determine an
associated geographic location (e.g., by looking up the name in a
contacts application). According to various other exemplary
embodiments, calendar data 50 may include a variety of other types
of data, information, and so on.
According to an exemplary embodiment, contacts data 52 may include
information regarding specific contacts, such as names, addresses,
phone numbers, email addresses, fax numbers, and contact-specific
notes (e.g., notes about the specific contact such as a birthday,
anniversary, etc.). Processor 40 may utilize contacts data 52 to
look-up various types of data (e.g., to determine an address when
only a name is known, etc.). According to various other exemplary
embodiments, contacts data 52 may include a variety of other types
of data, information, and so on.
According to an exemplary embodiment, messaging data 54 may include
information related to a variety of messaging applications
including email, text messaging, short message service (SMS), and
so on. For example, messaging data may include the content of an
email, a text message, etc., email addresses, text messaging
addresses, etc., and so on. According to various other exemplary
embodiments, messaging data 54 may include a variety of other types
of data, information, and so on.
According to an exemplary embodiment, personal preference or
personal profile data 56 may include data that is specific to a
user. Personal preference data 56 may be data that a user may
customize by providing input to device 10. For example, device 10
may permit a user to set up a profile (e.g., by filling out an
electronic form, answering a set of predetermined questions,
providing key words, etc.) for himself or herself that identifies
certain likes, dislikes, etc., such as favorite foods, favorite
destinations, favorite sports, and so on (including least favorite
preferences). As discussed in more detail below, this data may be
accessed by processor 40 to filter advertisement data that is being
directed to a user from various advertisement services, such that
the relevancy of the advertisement data provided to the user, and
therefore the usefulness of the advertisement data to the user, is
improved. According to various alternative exemplary embodiments,
personal preference data 56 may include a variety of other types of
data, information, and so on, in addition to that disclosed herein.
Furthermore, processor 40 may permit a user to update, customize,
reconfigure, etc. personal preference data 56.
According to an exemplary embodiment, personal preference data 56
may further include parameters that define the number, type,
frequency, etc. of the advertisement data that is delivered to
device 10. For example, a user may indicate that they do not wish
to receive any advertisement data (e.g., for a certain period of
time), or the user may wish to limit the amount of advertisement
data received (e.g., 2 ads per hour, 5 ads per day, etc.) or the
type of advertisement data received (e.g., a user may indicate that
they do not wish to receive pop-up ads or other types of ads). In a
further exemplary embodiment, processor 40 may store any
undelivered advertisement data that may later be accessed by a user
(e.g., processor 40 may store all pop-up ads in a designated file
or application that a user may access at their convenience). Other
personal preference data 56 may be provided according to various
other exemplary embodiments in order to further define and/or
restrict the delivery of advertisement data to device 10.
According to various other exemplary embodiments, device 10 may
utilize other data 58 as user-specific data 48 in accordance with
the various embodiments disclosed herein. It should be understood
that the various types of user-specific data 48 described herein
are provided for purposes of illustration, and not limitation, and
user-specific data 48 may include other data 58 not specifically
addressed herein depending on the specific embodiment (e.g., data
related to web-sites the user has visited using device 10,
bookmarks or favorites for web-sites, data downloaded from a user's
social networking account on a web-site (e.g., a MySpace or
Facebook account), data related to audio and/or video clips (e.g.,
songs, videos, etc.), to-do lists, memo applications, gaming
applications, etc.). The present disclosure is intended to be
applicable to all such embodiments.
Referring to FIG. 6, device 10 is shown in communication with a
number of advertisement services 60, 62, 64 according to an
exemplary embodiment. Services 60, 62, 64 are located remotely from
device 10 and are capable of wired and/or wireless communications
with device 10. According to an exemplary embodiment, services 60,
62, 64 are configured to provide advertisement data to various
types of computing devices, including device 10. Device 10 may
communicate with services 60, 62, 64 while the location of device
10 changes (e.g., while a user of device 10 is walking, driving,
traveling, etc.) such that the advertisement data may be provided
based on the current location of device 10.
According to various exemplary embodiments, the advertisement data
may include a variety of information and be provided in a variety
of ways. For example, advertisement data may be provided to a user
of device 10 in the form of a visual image provided on display 18.
For example, an icon (see, e.g., FIG. 9) may be displayed on device
10 and may be selected by a user to provide an enlarged
advertisement such as an electronic coupon, etc. (see, e.g., FIG.
10). Alternatively, rather than providing a visual display, device
10 may provide an audible message (e.g., a recording of an
advertisement, etc.). Furthermore, the advertisement data may be
provided on display 18 and superimposed over another image, such as
the current image the user is viewing, a geographic map indicating
the location of the establishment(s) the advertisement data is
associated with (see FIG. 11), and so on. According to various
other exemplary embodiments, other types of advertisement data may
be provided to device 10 (e.g., text, graphics, audio data, video
data, etc.).
Referring to FIG. 7, a flow chart illustrating an exemplary method
of providing advertisement data to a device such as device 10 is
shown. Device 10 first determines its location using GPS
application 44 or another suitable location-determining application
(step 70). Processor 40 then accesses user-specific data 48 (step
72). Accessing user-specific data 48 may include a variety of
actions, including accessing any of calendar data 50, contacts data
52, messaging data 54, personal preference data 56, and/or other
user-specific data 58. Processor 40 communicates with advertisement
services 60, 62, 64 and, based upon the location of device 10 and
user-specific data 48, processor 40 provides advertisement data
from one or more of advertisement services 60, 62, 64 to the
user.
For example, referring to FIGS. 7, 9, and 10, a user may be walking
down a street having a variety of restaurants while carrying device
10. Device 10 is configured to determine its location using GPS
application 44 and determine that advertisement services 60, 62, 64
have advertisements or advertisement data associated with the
nearby restaurants. Processor 40 is configured to access
user-specific data 48 and filter the advertisement data
accordingly. For example, processor 40 may access messaging data 54
and parse the text of recent emails (or text messages, etc.) to
determine whether there are key words, etc., that indicate a common
theme, such as "sports," "pizza," etc., such that these key words
may be used to select, for example, the restaurants that the user
would most likely prefer (e.g., a sports bar, a pizza restaurant,
etc.). Similarly, processor 40 may access personal preference data
56, which may include information related to a user's favorite
restaurants, etc. Furthermore, processor 40 may access contacts
data 52 to, for example, identify any commercial establishments
that are in the user's contacts application, are nearby the user's
current location, and are offering advertisement data. Further yet,
processor 40 may retrieve phone numbers of recently placed and/or
received calls and, in conjunction with contacts data 52, determine
an address based on the phone number(s). Processor 40 may then
determine whether the address(es) represent(s) any commercial
establishments that offer advertisement data and are nearby the
user. According to various exemplary embodiments, processor 40 may
access one or more types of user-specific data 48 to provide a more
or less rigorous filtering mechanism for providing advertisement
data to device 10.
Referring to FIG. 9 the advertisement data may be provided as an
icon 90 that is selectable by the user of device 10 such that upon
selection by a user, a larger image is provided, such as image 96
shown in FIG. 10. As shown in FIGS. 9 and 10, "Add" and "Remove"
buttons 92, 94 may be provided (e.g., as "soft buttons" on a
display or touch screen) that permit a user to indicate whether to
permit future advertisement data from the associated establishment,
etc. to be provided on device 10 (e.g., by selecting "Remove,"
processor 40 may filter out advertisement data from advertisement
services 60, 62, 64 such that the user does not receive
advertisement data from the establishment associated with the
current advertisement in the future). The use of buttons 92, 94 may
further be used by processor 40 to, for example, modify personal
preference data 56.
Referring to FIG. 8, a flow chart illustrating another exemplary
method of providing advertisement data to a device such as device
10 is shown. As shown in FIG. 8, processor 40 accesses appointment
data stored as a part of, for example, calendar data 50 (e.g., a
date, time, and/or location for a future appointment of a user of
device 10) (step 80). According to an exemplary embodiment,
processor 40 accesses calendar data 50 without being prompted by a
user by identifying the date and time of the appointment (e.g., by
identifying any appointments in the next 2 hours, 1 day, next week,
etc.) and accessing the data at a predetermined period of time
prior to the appointment. According to another exemplary
embodiment, a user may select a specific appointment the user
wishes processor 40 to act upon (e.g., for planning purposes,
etc.).
Processor 40 then identifies the location data (e.g., an address, a
city, etc.) associated with the appointment (step 82). According to
an exemplary embodiment, processor 40 may determine the location
data for the appointment by parsing the text of a calendar entry
(e.g., "Meeting at Joe's Restaurant") and referencing contacts data
52 to determine whether there is an address associated with "Joe's
Restaurant" in contacts data 52. Alternatively, an address may be
provided directly in the appointment data, which processor 40 may
then use as the location data for the appointment. Further, a user
may be prompted for or manually input the location data for an
appointment if processor 40 cannot otherwise determine the location
data for the appointment.
Processor 40 then determines the location of device 10 (step 84)
using, for example, GPS application 44 or another suitable
location-determining application. Alternatively, a user may be
prompted for or otherwise manually input an alternative location
(e.g., in the case of when the user knows he or she will be at
another location in the near future, etc.).
Based upon the location data from the appointment and the location
of device 10 (or other alternative location provided by the user),
processor 40 may then provide advertisement data (step 86), for
example, along the driving route between the location of the
appointment and the current location of device 10 within a
predetermined distance of the location of the appointment and/or
the current location of device 10, and so on.
For example, referring to FIGS. 8 and 11, a user may have an
appointment (e.g., a sporting event the user wishes to watch such
as a baseball game) at a specific time/date at location 102. At a
predetermined period of time prior to the appointment (e.g., 4
hours), processor 40 accesses the location data of the appointment
(e.g., the location of a baseball stadium, etc.). Processor 40 also
determines the current location 100 of device 10. Based upon the
current location 100 of device 10 and location 102 of the
appointment, processor 40 may then provide advertisement data to
device 10 in advance of the appointment based on the current
location 100, appointment location 102, time of day, or a
combination of these or other factors. Furthermore, processor 40
may provide the advertisement data based upon, for example, a
driving route 104 between locations 100, 102. As shown in FIG. 11,
one or more icons 106, 108, 110 may be displayed that represent
advertisements or advertisement data for various establishments
(e.g., restaurants, parking ramps, etc.). Upon selecting one of
icons 106, 108, 110, the user may be provided with a larger image
(such as image 96 shown in FIG. 10) that includes additional
advertisement data.
According to an alternative exemplary embodiment, processor 40 may
further take into account user-specific data 48 in conjunction with
locations 100, 102 in providing the advertisement data to device
10. For example, processor 40 may filter the types of restaurants
on driving route 104 for which advertisement data is provided to
device 10. This provides an additional filtering mechanism and
increases the relevancy of the advertisement data delivered to the
user of device 10. According to various other exemplary
embodiments, a wide variety of other user-specific data 48 may be
taken into account in providing advertisement data to device 10 in
accordance with the embodiments shown in FIGS. 8 and 11.
While the detailed drawings, specific examples and particular
formulations given describe exemplary embodiments, they serve the
purpose of illustration only. The hardware and software
configurations shown and described may differ depending on the
chosen performance characteristics and physical characteristics of
the computing devices. The systems shown and described are not
limited to the precise details and conditions disclosed.
Furthermore, other substitutions, modifications, changes, and
omissions may be made in the design, operating conditions, and
arrangement of the exemplary embodiments without departing from the
scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.
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